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Today, the government will vote on releasing the current Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry's State Secretary Aleksandrs Antonovs from his job and on Pukitis taking the office.

According to the draft Cabinet decree, Antonovs will be sacked taking into consideration the investigative commission's conclusions.

As a result, Pukitis will replace Antonovs as the state secretary of the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry. Pukitis has accepted the offer. If the government approves his appointment, he will take office on Wednesday, March 12.

The Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry explains that Pukitis is an experienced official who has worked in public administration for a long time, including as the state secretary of the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry and Welfare Ministry, and he has skills that are necessary for planning the operations of the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry.

Pukitis worked at the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry from 1996 to 2012, including as the ministry's state secretary.

As reported, Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Einars Cilinskis (All for Latvia!-For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK) has decided to propose to the government the dismissal of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry State Secretary Antonovs.

The government is to decide the matter tomorrow, March 11.

The decision on dismissing Antonovs was made after receiving a negative report from the disciplinary investigation commission regarding his involvement in allocating financing to the Karva Hydropower Plant project, Cilinskis pointed out.

As reported, Antonovs was suspended so that he could not hamper the disciplinary investigation into his involvement in the Karva Hydropower Plant affair.

LETA also reported, the official investigation into officials' responsibility for allocating funds to the Karva plant project has concluded, and the investigative commission proposed earlier this month that Antonovs be suspended from his job.

The commission recommended opening a disciplinary case against Antonovs and releasing him from his job pending investigation.

The commission has concluded that Antonovs has violated several regulations, which enabled the Karva project developers to receive state funding. As a result, the state has suffered losses in the amount of approximately EUR 498,005.

The dispute concerns Antonovs' decision to authorize state co-financing of EUR 500,000 to the company Patina, contrary to the then Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Edmunds Sprudzs' order to halt State Environmental Investment Fund's cooperation with the company.

Environmental protection organizations blame Patina for destroying the natural environment of the Karva River by building the hydropower plant. Valmiera Administrative District Court has ruled that construction permit for building the power plant was illegitimate. Patina has appealed the ruling, the Administrative Regional Court will review the case on February 6.